Hydro the Beardie

My boyfriend and i purchased a bearded dragon at petsmart about October 7th and we named him Hydro. We bought the cage, lights, food, things for the cage, and some extra stuff. but the one thing we don’t have is the uvb. we purchased one on December 1st, after we had him for almost 2 months. anyways, he was happy and healthy. but up until just a few days ago, i was at work and my boyfriend told me he was walking funny on the carpet and on the bed. i’ve read a lot about MBD and i’m not sure if this is what my beardie is getting. he hasn’t really had an appetite but he sheds pretty often throughout his body. he’s just seems sad, you might say. he just kinda lays down and doesn’t really care to move.. i need some advice. i feel like a horrible mommy. even though i have had beardies in the past, i still like to hear what others think i could do better.

I would say that he definitely is suffering from a Calcium Deficiency due to having no UVB light at all. Without an adequate, strong UVB light (a long tube, either a T8 or preferably a much stronger T5 UVB tube is necessary, not a compact or coil UVB bulb, as they are far too week for any desert repties), Bearded Dragons cannot manufacture any Vitamin D3, cannot absorb any nutrition from the food they eat or the supplements they are given, including calcium and all other vitamins and minerals, and their bodies cannot use any of the nutrition they take in. This results in nutritional deficiencies, weak bone density, malnutrition, and MBD and possibly Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) deficiency disease. So yes, the lethargy, the lack of appetite, the trouble moving/walking, these are all symptoms resulting from MBD.

What UVB light did you buy? What brand, model, wattage, and type (long tube, compact, or coil) is the UVB you got? Is it obstructed by anything, including a mesh lid to the tank? And how far away is it, in inches, from his main Basking Spot/Platform?

The only way to stop the MBD progression and possibly reverse some of the damage is to get him under an adequate, strong UVB tube that is mounted unobstructed and within the correct distance from his basking spot/platform, and having both this appropriate UVB tube and a bright white basking bulb on for at least 13-14 hours minimum every single day, and having all 3 temperature zones inside his tank within the correct temperature ranges. Also, he needs his live insects dusted in a Reptile-grade Calcium powder at least 5 times a week once he's under an adequate UVB tube (I'd do every day with Calcium in his case, at least until he's around 8 months old) and at least 3-4 days a week in a Reptile Multivitamin.

Can you post some photos of both him and his entire setup and lights?

i just bought a reptisun 10.0 18” uvb tube light and power calcium to coat his crickets. there used to be a mesh screen due to cats but now there isn’t one anymore. basking spot gets about to 105-110 and the cool side is 80. i gave him some crickets with the calcium today so we will see how he feels in the next few days.

Just make sure that the T8 UVB tube is not obstructed by anything at all (they are too weak to penetrate mesh lids or anything else and still deliver proper UVB light to your dragon), and that it is mounted at least within 6" of his basking spot/platform, that's the furthest away it can by from him to deliver adequate UVb light. Also, you must replace that T8 UVB tube every 6 months like clockwork, as they have a very fast UVB light decay rate, and at 6 months it will still turn-on and light up, but it will not be emitting any UVB light at all to him.

Be sure that both the UVb tube and your bright white basking bulb are both on for at least 13-14 hours every single day.